by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO - The lineup card sat on the office desk late Friday afternoon.

It wasn't going anywhere.

It will be forever preserved, and cherished, in Ryne Sandberg's home.

The Philadelphia Phillies might have found a permanent manager Friday, and the Chicago Cubs helplessly watched, knowing their fans realized the same.

If there was any doubt as to the impact Sandberg would have on the Phillies as their interim manager the last two weeks, there's no reason to look further than the team's 6-5 victory against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

The Phillies fought back from a five-run deficit against the Cubs' ace.

They turned doubles into triples and singles into doubles.

They threw out a runner at home plate in one inning and had a pinch-hit homer in another.

They stole a base, flawlessly executed the hit-and-run and pitched four shutout innings of relief.

Yep, this game had Sandberg's signature all over it, and the Phillies made sure they delivered, making Sandberg's return not only emotional, but also triumphant.

"It was like the epitome of how he wanted us to play,'' said Kevin Frandsen, who played two years for Sandberg in the minors, and had a pinch-hit triple and homer Friday. "Play the game right, play it with energy and don't quit. And you saw what happened.

"I think he earned his way into being a big-league manager, and the way we did was just awesome. He has meant so much to me as a player, and you can see what this means to him.''

Sandberg, the last person out of the visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field, couldn't help but smile leaving his office, with 15 family members waiting to greet him.

It was similar to the reaction from strangers when he his cab pulled up to Wrigley Field at 8:30 a.m. He was besieged by fans screaming for his autograph, and he accommodated every last person.

He ducked through the gates, headed into the concourse, and suddenly was hit with quick concern.

"Now,'' he told USA TODAY Sports, "let me see if I can find the place.''

Wrigley Field might have been Sandberg's home for nearly two decades, but except for a couple of visits to see friends, he had not been back since Sept. 21, 1997, his final home game before retiring.

He made it feel just like home Friday, with fans cheering when his name was introduced and he delivered the lineup card to home plate. They gave him ovations just walking to the pitcher's mound.

It might have looked like just a meaningless game between two teams going nowhere on the schedule, but for Sandberg, it was a game he'll forever remember.

"It's a good one to have,'' he said. "It's extra special.''

Sandberg, who couldn't believe the number of empty seats with a crowd of 28,763, remembers the glory days when he played. He won the 1984 National League MVP Award when the Cubs were one game away from the World Series, and he was there again in 1989 when the Cubs advanced to the playoffs. Even when they stunk, the place was packed.

Yet, after four dismal seasons, and with the third-worst record (56-78) in baseball, the Cubs have given little reason for fans to show up.

"The empty seats is something new to me,'' Sandberg said.

The majority of the fans that showed up Friday made it clear they were there to support Sandberg, yelling, "Welcome home, Ryno.''

They cheered him as if it were 1984 all over again, wishing he were back in the Cubs dugout and playing second base, instead of the visitor's dugout managing the Phillies.

"You can see what this means to him,'' says Frandsen. "Just walking around, and seeing his smile.

"This is where it all happened.

"I'll be honest, I've been looking forward to this day since the beginning of the season.

The Phillies players, realizing the essentialism and magnitude of this weekend for Sandberg, even stopped into his office Friday morning, making sure he wasn't hyperventilating.

"I checked on him to see how he was doing,'' said Phillies infielder Michael Young, who produced four hits. "It was sentimental to him, and rightfully so. This means a lot to him.

"He's got his number retired here. He's a Hall of Famer here. And this town loves him.''

Sandberg, who was surrounded by 35 reporters and four camera crews before the game, even had the umpires laughing at the home plate. When he came out to exchange the lineup cards, he asked if they wanted to let them know the ground rules.

Yeah, it was that kind of day, with fans showing wearing his jersey, Cubs employees coming by to greet him and even long-lost high-school friends coming to the game.

"This is right where I want to be,'' Sandberg said. "I think I'm at the age now, my age and everything, I try to enjoy everything. That was the big reason of getting back into baseball when I did.''

And instead of looking for a handout, or even a favor, he was willing to go back to the minor leagues, taking long bus rides with 18- and 19-year-old pimple-faced kids at Class A.

"That's one thing were very well aware of,'' Young says. "Some guys that had that kind of playing career are a little reluctant to go the minors and work their way up. And he did that.

"We all have a ton of respect for him that.''

Said Frandsen: "He doesn't use his Hall of Fame status as, 'My way or the highway,' where a lot of guys would. He communicates with you. He understands. He literally remembers what it's like to struggle and work to get out of it.

"So to be able to adjust to guys that aren't as talented as he was, and the way he gets through to us, you know he's going to be special.''

It just won't be in Chicago, and that's a shame.

Too bad it's not in Chicago.

It's not as if Sandberg could take the current Cubs team and magically turn it into a power, but he at least would take the sting out of another dismal year, just as he did as a Hall of Fame player.

Time will tell just how good Sandberg will be as a manager, but he doesn't shy away from the fact that he badly wanted the Cubs job when it opened before the 2011 season and again before 2012.

Yet, he insists, there is no bitterness.

"The Cubs gave me a chance to start in (Class A) Peoria and gave me an opportunity to manage in the minor leagues," Sandberg said. "I did it for four years. That's gone a long way. Other than that, I know how baseball works.

"Baseball is all about relationships, and in some ways, what know you and who knows you.

"That's the case here.''

And now, his performance and relationship with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, will be the determining factors in whether he sticks around. Amaro says he has been impressed with the way Sandberg has performed during his first two weeks, but there's another month to go.

He'll continue evaluating before making the determination on whether to stick with Sandberg as his permanent manager, or wait, perhaps to see if Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia is fired and hits the market.

Yet, if you ask the Phillies, they want him around. Forget the perception that Sandberg is too quiet. Ignore the talk that his personality isn't strong enough. He has the Phillies players believing in him.

"I think a manager always makes a big difference,'' Young says. "He is the one to set the tone with his demeanor, the way he approaches the game, his work ethics, his work habits. The players, no matter young or experienced, you're going to pay attention to those types of things.

"His playing career immediately gets our attention, but his baseball IQ has been very impressive to all of us.''

And, yes, Sandberg is getting his point across, loud and clear.

"I haven't found Ryno to be quiet at all,'' Young says. "He is very good at communicating. If there's something that he feels that needs to be said, he doesn't hesitate.

"And we all respect that.''

Sandberg might have wished his major league managerial career began in Chicago, but in Philadelphia, he inherits a team with stars, a massive payroll and just four years removed from a World Series championship.

"I've always had that attitude that things happen for a reason,'' Sandberg said. "But also, I put in the work, put the time in to give myself a chance to be at this point now. I didn't want to have the opportunity I have now and not be prepared.

"I feel much more comfortable now. This feels good.''

He's got a chance to feel a whole lot better by the end of the weekend, knowing the stamp he put on his team is being seen throughout Chicago.